


No Harm No Foul

by Kyriadamorte



Series: The Epic Journey of Heaven's Most Adorable Angel and His Long-Suffering Brother [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inept H/C, Nightmares, Post-8x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-18
Updated: 2013-01-18
Packaged: 2017-11-25 23:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyriadamorte/pseuds/Kyriadamorte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Samandriel is guilty and Castiel is confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Harm No Foul

Samandriel wakes screaming. 

Castiel jerks upright from the adjacent bed where he’d been correcting the Bible that he’d found in the drawer of the adjacent nightstand. He runs over to his brother, who is flailing frantically as if he were trying to escape the sheets. Samandriel’s eyes are wide and unseeing as he lashes out at some unseen foe.

“You’re alright,” Castiel says, trying to imitate the tone he’d heard Sam and Dean use on frightened victims. “Samandriel, you are safe now.”

He reaches out to touch his brother’s shoulder, to wake him…

And finds himself pinned to the ceiling. “Samandriel…” he gasps, choking against whatever power his brother is using to hold him there. “Brother…I…”

Samandriel’s motions slow and his features shift from terror to recognition…and then to horror. Castiel falls onto the bed with a thump. Samandriel, with surprising agility for one whose vessel was so badly damaged, scurries to the head of the bed, bringing his knees up under his chin and rocking gently.

“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry…”

“…no harm, no foul,” says Castiel, trying out one of the Winchesters’ phrases.

From Samandriel’s confused expression, Castiel guesses that his brother is just as confused about that idiom as he is. Or perhaps his delivery was wrong. Apparently, the correct intonation is very important with these things.

It did serve its purpose, however, as Samandriel (more or less) stopped rocking and muttering to himself.

“Nevermind,” Castiel mumbles, “you appeared…greatly distressed. Is…is there anything you require?”

Samandriel shakes his head mutely, then briefly raises his eyes to Castiel’s ... and his whole face crumples. He’s shaking now and…oh, no…those are tears coming out of his eyes. Castiel is not equipped to deal with this. When the Winchesters cry it is usually a lone, quiet tear and a slight cracking of the voice that Castiel is clearly meant to ignore.

Samandriel’s crying is nothing like that. The tears have already started streaming down his face and he’s making these awful shuddering, gasping noises. And the rocking has started again. Castiel is no expert, but he is pretty sure he shouldn’t ignore this.

He slowly puts his arms around his brother, making sure that Samandriel is aware of all his movements, not wanting to end up on the ceiling again.

He needn’t have worried. After Castiel’s arms have fully encircled him, he relaxes slowly, then burrows into Castiel’s armpit. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to do anything about the crying.

Hugging alone, it appears, is not sufficient. There’s no other choice. He’ll have to go for it.

“Samandriel. I…that is…would you like to…talk? About...it?”

“I betrayed us,” Samandriel whispers into Castiel’s armpit.

Oh dear. Castiel was approximately six different types of not prepared for this conversation. Did Samandriel even remember who he was talking to? Castiel has betrayed the Heavenly Host in more ways than he can even remember. Sometimes justified…others….decidedly less so.

“You did not, Samandriel. Crowley accessed and manipulated your very foundation …whatever it is … beneath and beyond your grace. There was no choice in the matter. Any information you divulged…. You must know it was not your fault.”

“Castiel, you do not understand. The information I gave them…. Castiel, there is another tablet … an angel tablet. If Crowley finds it … we are all in grave danger… we–”

“If Crowley finds it.” Castiel interrupts. Samandriel sounds like he’s about to become hysterical and Castiel is quite sure that that would, in turn, cause him to become hysterical. Or, at the very least, panic stoically. And that simply would not do. “He has not found it, yet. Besides, even if he finds it he has no one to read it.” 

Castiel is quite proud of himself. He believes he has almost mastered the art of comforting deception.

“But he could…oh Castiel…he has them, he has them all!”

“I know.”

“I gave them to him, Castiel. We are the guardians of the Word and I gave up everything to that…that… _demonic upstart!_ ”

Castiel had not known this, but he is not entirely surprised. It does explain how Crowley had known how to find the future prophets. He looks down at his brother, who has turned his head up towards him in what looks like fear. Castiel frowns in confusion. Did Samandriel truly think that Castiel would be angry at him? Would cast him out? That didn’t make any sense. When it came to this sort of thing, Castiel knew that he had no moral high ground to speak of. Surely Samandriel must know this as well. How could he still care about Castiel’s opinion at all?

Samandriel appears to have read Castiel’s look of confusion as one of anger or displeasure. His crying has become audible again and his face is awash in misery.

“It is going to be alright,” Castiel say to him, in what he hopes is a comforting voice. “I will take care of it.”

Samandriel is hiccupping now. Castiel is unsure how much more of this crying business he can take. “Please, brother,” he says. “You must stop crying. You must -“

“I-I don’t know how!“ wails Samandriel, miserably. “I haven’t cried before now! I don’t know how to stop!”

This does pose a bit of problem. Castiel doesn’t really know how to either. Maybe it will go away on its own?

He suggests this to Samandriel, who nods pathetically, his hiccupping slowly subsiding into muffled sniffles.

Castiel sighs. He is going to have to call Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> So I've already written another fic in this series (the obligatory kitten fic), but I'm not sure if I should post it now or wait for its turn chronologically. What do you guys think?


End file.
